Supercharge your brain health by going purple

I’m sure by now you’ve heard about the many health benefits of drinking tea. And it doesn’t matter if you prefer green or black tea — with either, you’ll get a healthy boost of antioxidants and plant compounds.

Green tea, for instance, contains plenty of nutrients ideal for reducing stress and burning fat. And although black tea doesn’t have the same healthy reputation as green, it really should. Because research shows it has heart and arterial benefits, as well as a preventive effect on type 2 diabetes.

But today, I want you to consider adding a new type of tea to your daily regimen — especially if preventing dementia is a high priority.

Now I’m not suggesting a radical change. You’ll still enjoy your relaxing cup of tea. It’ll just be a different color. Instead of green or black, I recommend a cup of purple.

The power of purple

Purple tea comes from the same family as green and black tea. It was cultivated by the Tea Research Foundation of Kenya, and grows only at very high altitudes (with elevations as high as 7,500 feet). And that high mountain origin is part of the reason purple tea is so healthy.

At such lofty elevations, the exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light is intense. To protect itself, the purple tea plant produces very high levels of polyphenols — antioxidant-rich phytochemicals that help the plant to survive. Phytochemicals fight chronic disease when ingested by humans, and they’re also prebiotic, so they boost beneficial bacteria in your gut.

Purple tea also produces a second protective compound that gives the leaves their distinctive dark purple color. This compound is anthocyanin — the same plant chemical that makes blueberries so healthy, and helps maintain cognitive health.

And because of these brain-boosting benefits, Dr. Fred Pescatore dedicates an entire chapter to purple tea in his Drug-Free Protocol for Reversing Alzheimer’s and Dementia,

In addition to helping maintain memory and concentration, Dr. Pescatore says: “Anthocyanins also help fight cardiovascular disease and cancer. But purple tea has a much higher content of anthocyanins than blueberries — 1.5 percent compared to 0.1 percent.”

That level is a full 15 times higher than the commonly praised blueberry!

A cup of goodness for your brain

Dr. Pescatore highlights some of the impressive benefits that have made purple tea one of his top beverage choices.

Firstly, purple tea has greater antioxidant activity than either green or black tea. In fact, it has a free-radical scavenging rate of more than 50 percent, compared to 34 percent for green tea and 28 percent for black tea.

In other words, this higher level of antioxidant activity means you’re less likely to develop chronic diseases like Alzheimer’s and heart disease.

And Dr. Pescatore explains that purple tea also has substantially more polyphenols than either green or black teas — 16 percent, compared to 10 percent for black tea and 9 percent for green tea.

One of the most intriguing aspects of purple tea is that catechins — found in high levels in purple tea — are what Dr. Pescatore calls “neuroprotective antioxidants” because they can actually cross the blood-brain barrier (the brain’s protective membrane that filters out toxins) to be absorbed directly by the brain.

In a mouse study, researchers showed that purple tea anthocyanins can also cross the blood-brain barrier.

To that, Dr. Pescatore says, “If this research can be replicated in humans, imagine the implications. Extra antioxidants in the brain could help modulate conditions associated with oxidative stress, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, ALS, and multiple sclerosis.”

A cautionary note for all tea drinkers

However, Dr. Pescatore has one word of warning — no matter what color your tea preference.

The issue is fluoride, which appears to promote hypothyroidism — that is, underactive thyroid function. And hypothyroidism more than doubles the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in women.

Dr. Pescatore explains that tea plants absorb natural fluoride from soil. So when tea is made with fluoridated tap water, it can deliver fluoride levels that are significantly higher, potentially unsafe levels.

This is why Dr. Pescatore recommends using only organic tea leaves, and adds this suggestion: “Triple brew the leaves with bottled, still mineral water to get all of purple tea’s health benefits with less of the worrisome fluoride.”

You can read more about the benefits of purple tea — as well as many other diet, nutritional, and lifestyle recommendations to protect your cognitive health — in Dr. Pescatore’s Drug-Free Protocol for Reversing Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Click here to enroll today or to learn more about how this remarkable online learning tool can help you preserve your memory and improve your focus well into your golden years.